


True Blue

by DestinyMass



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Gen, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Vancouver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 12:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19464433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyMass/pseuds/DestinyMass
Summary: Small town cop Kaidan is transferred to Vancouver where he meets the flirtatious John Shepard. Will he settle into his new life, or will his small town call him back?





	1. The Pas

**Author's Note:**

> This is my story for the Reverse Mass Effect Big Band 2019
> 
> Art credit goes to [ shotce](https://shotce.tumblr.com/)! Go give the art the attention it deserves. I had fun working the image into the story!
> 
> Thanks to [ jeannedarcprice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeannedarcprice/pseuds/jeannedarcprice) for betaing and putting up with me (she's putting words in my mouth right now!)
> 
> And enjoy!

The air was biting, and snow had begun to fall angrily out of the sky, forcing many residents of The Pas to take shelter. A blizzard was on its way, and Kaidan was not happy about being caught in it. Steeling himself, he opened his car door, inviting a blast of cold air in. He shivered, and clutched his thermos tighter, hoping it could provide some warmth. He set off towards the building in front of him; it had once been a bar, but these days it was a boarded-up derelict occasionally frequented by underage drinkers due to its location on the edge of town. It was a call from one of these teenagers that had brought Kaidan here, claiming there was a body.

Kaidan was hoping it was nothing more than a hoax, a murder in The Pas would be province-wide news. And he really wanted to avoid a homicide investigation with the media getting in the way. The snow crunched under his boots as he approached the door. The plank that had prevented entry was missing, leaving a gaping maw of black that starkly contrasted with the overwhelming amount of snow that was quickly getting heavier. Kaidan took his flashlight off his belt and switched it on, the beam of light cutting a path through the darkness. Upon first inspection it didn’t pick up much, a few broken chairs and bottles littered the floor, and a little further ahead Kaidan could make out the shape of the old bar table. He cautiously entered, keeping his eyes moving around the room, looking for anything suspicious.

It appeared to be an average den of underage activity. Big streaks through the dust indicating footfall, empty beer cans and condom wrappers littered around, and a broken pool table propped up on crates. A few chairs had been placed in a circle around what Kaidan assumed was the remains of a fire, and a handful of wine bottles lay scattered next to it.

Kaidan’s eyes fell on an odd shape propped against the back wall. At first glance it could have been a poorly folded tent, but Kaidan’s instincts were telling him it wasn’t. He slowly made his way towards the shape, careful not to disturb anything. As Kaidan got closer, he began to notice more details – a black tarpaulin, covered in dry mud. Whatever was encased within was pointing in odd angles, reminding Kaidan of the shapeless monsters that occasionally haunted his nightmares. He was finally within touching distance. Reaching his hand out cautiously, he pulled back a piece of tarpaulin.

A leg fell from the tarpaulin, and Kaidan jumped back in shock. Recovering, he examined the loose appendage more closely. It was too thin to have been human. _A deer carcass maybe?_ Kaidan thought to himself. Having decided that there had definitely not been a homicide, of a human at least, Kaidan was able to quickly remove the rest of the tarpaulin. A jumbled assortment of bones fell out at his feet, the majority of them clearly belonging to deer and smaller animals. Oddly, there didn’t seem to be any skulls amongst the bones, but Kaidan put that detail to one side, assuming that they may have been taken by a hunter who had ditched the rest of the kills. Sweeping his flashlight across the remains, he noticed something unusual. Some of the bones were glittering in the beam of light, casting an intricate lightshow on the wall behind.

Kaidan shook his head and returned to his car. Thankful to be back in the warmth, he took a moment to rub his hands together before reaching for his radio.

“Dispatch, this is officer Alenko. That call about the body was only half true. There are some remains in the building, but they appear to be animal, and some of them are glittering.”

“Glittering? That sounds a little crazy Kaidan, but I’ll have a technician sent out to have a look, you just hold tight, maybe get yourself a coffee,” the voice of Jeff crackled through the radio.

“Gee thanks, Joker. I’ll be sure to do that,” Kaidan replied.

He didn’t receive a reply, but he was convinced he heard Joker’s laugh through the static. Letting out a sigh, he settled in for the technician to arrive. He took a sip of his lukewarm coffee and placed it on his dash. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to wait too long.

After what felt like an eternity in the snow, another car approached the derelict parking lot. The driver flashed their lights, grabbing Kaidan’s attention from his phone. As the other driver reversed into a parking space, Kaidan got out of his patrol car, shivering in the wind. A moment later the other driver stepped out, a shock of blue hair contrasting with the snow. The woman was short in stature, barely reaching Kaidan’s shoulders. She was wearing glasses and a white trench coat buttoned up in an effort to reduce the wind chill. She beamed at Kaidan and waved. Kaidan waved back, happy that out of everyone Joker could have sent, he’d picked Liara.

“Kaidan, I’m so glad to see you!” Liara exclaimed as she reached him, enveloping him in a warm hug.

“Liara, it’s good to see you too, it’s been a while,” Kaidan replied.

“We should go for a beer later and have a proper catch up, but for now, take me to the diamond bones.”

Kaidan laughed and escorted Liara into the building. Shining his flashlight over them, he waited while Liara examined them. She was humming, a tune that Kaidan knew but couldn’t quite place. She was diligent, carefully examining the bones through her gloved hands, patiently turning them over, occasionally stopping her humming to mutter under her breath.

She stood up, taking the latex gloves off, before motioning for Kaidan to follow her outside. He followed her to her car, waiting silently as she rummaged through her boot. She pulled out a briefcase that Kaidan knew held an assortment of tools and toys for her to conduct some basic tests.

“So I still need to run tests, and I definitely want to take them back to the lab, but this is fascinating. They’re obviously animal, but they appear to be coated in diamond dust,” she said.

“Diamond dust? Are you saying someone went hunting and bedazzled the remains?” Kaidan asked.

“That’s not what I’m saying. All I can tell you is that there is residue on the bones. I don’t feel comfortable making a hypothesis without running my tests.”

“Okay, well how about you make a guess, just for fun? Come on Liara give me something.”

“Fine. Based on the weathering the bones have been exposed for a while, but they were also buried. If I was to guess, and I don’t like to, I’d say someone was transporting diamonds in animal remains”

“So, diamond smuggling?” Kaidan asked incredulously.

“I’m not comfortable making that assertion.”

Kaidan sighed, leaving Liara to go and collect the bones while he radioed dispatch.


	2. The Lab

“So you’re telling me we’ve got diamond smugglers here? In the Pas? Christ’s sake Alenko, I don’t need any more headaches,” Captain Wrex grunted, shuffling papers around his desk.

“It’s just a working theory at the moment, but Liara seems to think the bones were buried after the diamonds were extracted, so they’ve been dug up since,” Kaidan answered.

“I thought she didn’t like theories? Ah well, I’ll make a few calls and see if there’s any departments investigating diamond smugglers,” Wrex said.

Kaidan nodded and left the office. He headed towards the lab, hoping to speak with Liara. He made it about halfway before he bumped into James Vega, another officer. James was a towering mountain of a man, but underneath all his muscle was a playful personality. Kaidan nodded to him, and was rewarded with a large grin off James.

“Kaidan! How’s it going?” he asked.

“Hey James, I’m doing good, just on my way to the lab,” Kaidan replied.

“Oh, hard at work are we? I won’t keep you, but come find me when you’re done, I wanted to run something by you.”

“Okay you got it Vega, see you in a bit.”

Kaidan patted James on the shoulder and carried on his way. He had just made it to the lift when his phone buzzed. Liara.

_Bring me a coffee on your way down? Large cappuccino with extra chocolate pretty please <3_

Kaidan smiled, and pressed the button for the lobby. Fortunately no one else got on the lift so his descent was swift and silent. Stepping out, he made a beeline towards the coffee counter, since at this time everyone coming off duty would be getting their caffeine fix before driving home. As luck would have it, the little counter was silent apart from one of the secretaries and the barista, who was just handing off a drink. Kaidan approached the counter, flashing his smile at the barista.

“Hey Monica, can I get two large cappuccinos with extra chocolate on both please?” he asked.

“Sure thing sweetie, coming right up,” Monica replied cheerily, turning around to prepare the machine.

Kaidan fired off a quick text to Liara to let her know he would be there shortly, and turned his attention back to Monica, who was already adding the chocolate on top of the frothy coffee. Kaidan handed over a note and told her to keep the change. Clutching his precious cargo tightly, he walked back towards the lift and pressed the button for the basement.

Stepping out, he was greeted by Liara, who had her hand outstretched eagerly, waiting to accept her caffeine. Kaidan chuckled and handed her one.

“Are you _that_ desperate for your fix?” he teased.

“It’s cold! But yes, it’s been a few hours since I had one,” Liara retorted, taking a grateful sip.

Kaidan followed her as she set off towards one of the smaller examination rooms. They were fairly silent, the occasional gulp of hot coffee the only sound between them. By the time they reached the room, Liara had already finished her drink, tossing the cup into the bin. She quickly set about searching through the mess that was the desk for her papers. Kaidan leant against the wall, waiting patiently as she mumbled to herself. Finding the file she had been searching for, she let out a small grunt of triumph as she flicked through the pages.

“Okay so, do you want the good news or bad news first?” she asked.

“Let’s start with the bad, I’d rather get it out of the way.”

“Well, I can’t really give you a clear time of death for the animals, they’ve been buried for so long a lot of the common indicators are gone. But it was definitely more than six months ago.”

Kaidan sighed.

“That is bad, so what’s the good news?” he asked.

“Well, one of the deer had a chip implanted in it, I imagine for some kind of research, and it managed to make its way into the tarpaulin. I did some checking, and the chip belongs to a company in Vancouver.”

“Vancouver? But that means –”

“We’re looking at a countrywide smuggling operation, and that may only be the tip of the iceberg,” Liara finished.

Kaidan rubbed the bridge of his nose, taking this information in.

“Looks like I’m going to have to call Vancouver then, thanks Liara, this is really helpful.”

“Maybe you’ll get to go! This might be that change you keep talking about,” Liara offered.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah maybe. I’ll go see what I can find out, catch you later Liara.”

Liara waved as Kaidan turned and headed once more to the lift. He was a little surprised to learn that this may be a lot bigger than he first thought. He was running various possibilities through his head and didn’t notice Vega’s back, which he promptly walked in to.

“Hey what the- Jesus Kaidan, you going blind or something?” James exclaimed in shock.

“Sorry James, I wasn’t paying attention, but I think I took the brunt of the damage.”

“That is probably true, but while I’ve got you, do you mind if I have a quick chat with you?” James asked.

“Er, sure thing, what’s this about?”

“I wanted to get your opinion on something. I’ve been thinking about putting in a transfer request to Ontario, do you think it’s a good idea?”

Kaidan took a moment to think.

“If you want to go for it you should. I know you’ve built up friendships here but don’t you always say you want to get back to your family there? If you think you’re ready to go back you know we’ll all support you”

“Thanks Kaidan, I still need to think it over but you’re right, it is time I go back,” James replied.

He extended his hand to Kaidan, which he took and gave a firm shake.

Finally reaching his desk, he booted up his computer. He was just about to check his emails when his desk phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Kaidan, its Captain Wrex, listen. Liara just sent her report to me, and I made some calls. Long story short, you need to come see me. You’re going to Vancouver.”


	3. Going to Vancouver

Kaidan had quickly made his way towards Wrex’s office. He stood in front of the desk, still puzzled over what the Captain had told him.

“But sir, why do I have to go to Vancouver?” he asked.

Wrex grunted, scratching at the scar on his cheek.

“This diamond smuggling thing, top brass thinks it’s a lot bigger than Manitoba, and with Liara’s report they think a big part of the operation is in Vancouver. Since you were the one who found the bones, they want you and Liara to join a task force there to try and take it down,” he replied.

“But couldn’t I just stay here and provide help over the phone? I’ve never been to Vancouver, and I don’t know anyone there I could stay with,” Kaidan said desperately.

“Unfortunately not. This task force is going to be pretty hands on, and you don’t need to worry about accommodation. I already spoke to the head of the task force and they’ve got a budget for out of province officers, you’ll be set up with an apartment in the city and provided some basic furnishings. But you would have to transfer for a minimum of six months,” Wrex informed him, tapping a pen against the desk.

Kaidan sighed in defeat. He clearly wasn’t going to get out of this. He picked his head up and looked directly at Wrex.

“So when do I need to ship out?” he asked.

“You’ll be flying out at the end of the week with Liara. I’d get packing if I were you. I’m going to speak with Liara after this so as of now you’re both on leave to get your stuff together.”

Kaidan nodded and took his leave, hearing Wrex pick up the phone. His thoughts were racing through his head as he walked back to his desk. He was going to have to basically pack up his entire life and send it to Vancouver for god knows how long, working as part of a task force on what could possibly be a nationwide syndicate. And to be leaving at the end of the week? That was a whole lot of stuff to do in not a lot of time.

He was in the middle of going through his desk, sorting out which files he could pass off to others and which he would have to place into the records room, when Liara walked up behind him.

“So, Kaidan, I guess we’re going to Vancouver,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s certainly going to be an experience eh?”

“Oh don’t be like that! I think it’ll be fun. Think about it, we get to see a whole other side of Canada, do some things we might not have done here, and, you can use your French to seduce any nice people you meet,” Liara teased.

Kaidan chuckled, and gave Liara a playful slap on the shoulder. She recoiled in mock offence, her smile betraying her. Shaking her head, she began to walk away, pointedly staring at the mess on Kaidan’s desk. Rolling his eyes, Kaidan dived back into sorting through it.

The snow had mostly settled by the time Kaidan got back to his house. It was early evening, and he was clutching a takeout box and a crate of beer. He had made a few calls, and had managed to secure a moving company and a storage unit to hold most of his larger belongings that wouldn’t be making the journey with him to Vancouver. He had enlisted the help of James and one of the rookie officers, Ashley, to help him pack in the morning. Until then he figured he may as well start with some of his smaller personal effects after he had eaten.

Despite his initial misgivings, Kaidan had to admit that the idea of exploring a new city was exciting, and he was looking forward to being a part of the task force. He was brought out of his thoughts by the doorbell. Standing up, he walked over to the door and opened it.

“Kaidan! I’m glad I caught you,” Liara exclaimed.

“Caught me? We left at the same time,” Kaidan replied.

“Yeah but I didn’t know if you’d be home yet, and I wanted to know what you were doing with your stuff.”

Kaidan opened the door wider and stepped to one side, inviting her in. She stepped past him and made her way to the living room, grabbing one of the beers out of the crate as she thumped down onto the chair.

“So, what did you want to know?” Kaidan asked, sitting on the sofa with another beer.

“Well, what are you doing with all your furniture, and big stuff? I don’t think I need to take it with me but then again I don’t know if these apartments were getting come furnished.”

“I think they come with most of the basics, so all my furniture is going into storage, and apart from a few things to decorate everything else will be going with it. I got a pretty large storage unit if you want to put anything in it,” Kaidan offered.

“Oh, thank you, but I’ve actually got a friend of mine housesitting for me so I’m leaving most of it here. What are you doing about your house?”

“I hadn’t really thought about that, I was just going to leave Joker a set of keys and have him come in every now and then.”

Liara nodded, taking another swig of beer. She peeled the label off and crumpled it into a ball.

“This is going to be so weird. Not being here for at least six months. They might have even finally finished refurbishing the cafeteria by the time we come back,” she said.

“Ha! That place will never be finished, they could rebuild the entire station and it would still be the one place filled with tools and materials,” Kaidan laughed.

“Yeah, you are right,” Liara grinned.

Kaidan smiled and knocked back the rest of his beer. They spent the rest of the evening talking about various topics, and it was almost midnight when Kaidan closed his front door on Liara. Tired, he went upstairs and got into bed.

 _I’ll start packing in the morning,_ he told himself.


	4. Welcome to Vancouver

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking, we are now approaching Vancouver. If you would please return to your seats and put your belts on…”

Kaidan looked out the window, expecting to see the buildings of the airport come into view. Liara had fallen asleep not long after take-off, her head resting against Kaidan’s shoulder. He shifted carefully, making sure he didn’t jostle her. He still felt strange leaving The Pas, he had lived there almost his entire life. But the more he had thought it through the more he had been excited about the chance to live in the big city.

The plane touched down, bouncing slightly, which woke Liara.

“Huh? Arwere?” she mumbled incoherently.

“Yep, just touched down,” Kaidan answered her.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked, trying to rouse herself. They sat in silence until the plane stopped and they got off to go to baggage claim. Fortunately, their bags were some of the first ones off, both an unmistakeable shade of blue. They walked through the arrival lounge, Liara stopping at one of the shops to check out the new scientific magazines it carried, which she complained was very few for such a big airport.

“So who is it we’re waiting for to pick us up?” Kaidan asked while Liara flicked through her phone.

“Well I’m getting a lift off of one of my contacts from the museum, Dr. Suvi Anwar. But I believe a detective named Shepard is supposed to be picking you up,” Liara told him.

“Damn Liara, we’ve just got here and you’re ditching me already?”

“I can’t help it! Suvi found out I was coming and she wanted to show me something at the museum! I can’t help it if I’m in demand,” she said with a playful punch to Kaidan’s shoulder.

Kaidan was stopped from retaliating by two people walking towards them. A man with a buzzcut and woman with bright red hair stopped in front of them before the man extended his hand to Kaidan.

“Kaidan and Liara right? I’m John Shepard, and this is my sister Jane,” he said.

Kaidan took John’s hand in his own and gave a firm shake.

“Yep, that’s us. Although we’re about to lose Liara,” Kaidan replied.

“Sorry! I’ve just seen Suvi over there, I’ll catch up with you tomorrow,” Liara said as she rushed over to a woman who was busy on her phone.

“Just the three of us then,” said Jane, speaking for the first time.

“Fine with me, you’re the much cuter of the pair of you,” John chipped in.

Kaidan blushed, and his hand gripped onto his suitcase tighter.

“Stop it John, you’re embarrassing him,”

Kaidan coughed, and mumbled about getting to the apartment he had to pick up the keys for.

“Oh honey, we got it for you on the way here. We figured you might want to get some food after your flight, and wouldn’t want to have to go halfway across the city to go all the way back,” Jane informed him.

“Oh, thanks,”

John put his hand over Kaidan’s that was on the bag. It felt warm, and strong, and it took all of Kaidan’s willpower to not gasp at the touch. Realising he was offering to take his bag for him, he let go.

“What about the rest of your stuff?” John asked.

“I had it sent ahead, it should be at the depot,” Kaidan replied.

“Fantastic, you can ride in the car with Jane, and I’ll go find a van for it all.”

“Come with me honey, we’re going to have a blast,” said Jane.

Before Kaidan knew it he was at a small restaurant with the Shepards, waiting for their meals to arrive.

“So tell me Kaidan, are you excited about working in Vancouver?” asked John.

“I think so, it’s a lot bigger than what I’m used to so it might take me a while to figure my way around,” he said.

“Oh don’t worry about that, you’ll find the most important easily enough. There’s a fantastic gaybourhood in Davie Village,” said Jane.

Kaidan inhaled half of his drink. Spluttering, he took his napkin and dabbed at his mouth.

“G-gaybourhood?”

“Honey, you might think you hide it well, but trust me, I can smell it from a mile off.”

“That, and the fact you’ve got about eight stickers on your suitcase. Don’t worry honey, we won’t say anything if you don’t,” John said with a smirk.

Kaidan said nothing, and thankfully their food arrived before either of the twins could push the subject further. He had been hungrier than he first thought, as he dived into the food with gusto. By the time he had finished he had devoured everything on the plate. John had taken the bill and paid it.

“Well, now that everyone is fed and watered, how about we get you to your new home?” John said.

“Okay, that sounds good!”

Kaidan got back into the car Jane while John jumped into the van he had collected containing Kaidan’s belongings. They didn’t speak much, with Kaidan spending the majority of the time on his phone texting Liara, who was apparently having a blast at the museum. _They have a whole section for space Kaidan!_ Read one of her messages.

About halfway into the ride, Jane spoke up.

“So Kaidan, what do you think of John. He’s handsome right?”

“Er, what?”

“Oh come on, I saw how you reacted when he touched your hand,” Jane said, giving him a sidelong glance.

“I mean, he is attractive yeah. But I hardly know you guys,” he replied sheepishly.

“Well you’ll be spending quite a bit of time for the both of us, and I promise you this. We’ll all know everything about each other if John has his way. I can tell he likes you.”

“Do you think we could not talk about this right now?” asked Kaidan, shifting uncomfortably.

“Okay, but we will talk about this again,” said Jane.

Settling back into an awkward silence, Kaidan thought over what Jane had said. He had to admit, John was hot, and he certainly wouldn’t complain if he were to see him stepping out of the shower. But he had only just met them, and it felt weird to be having those kind of thoughts. But then again, he found many of the adult entertainers attractive so was it really that different? He was pulled out of his internal debate when the engine switched off. He looked up, and was greeted by a modest, quiet looking apartment complex.

“We’re here, welcome to your new apartment,” said Jane.


	5. Unpacking

Kaidan walked through the door to his new apartment, the twins not far behind him, both carrying boxes. They spent the next hour unloading the van, not really talking, and by the time they had removed everything it was late afternoon. Kaidan thanked the driver and gave him a tip. He walked back into the apartment and found the Shepard’s had already started opening boxes and examining the contents.

“You didn’t have to help me unpack you know, I could have done it myself,” Kaidan said apprehensively.

“You’re our partner for the moment, we _have_ to help,” Jane grinned as she rummaged through a box labelled bedroom.

“And we need to make sure you’re not trying to hide any dirty little secrets from us,” John grunted as he set down a large box.

Kaidan watched the twins warily. They had invited themselves to his new apartment, and while they seemed friendly enough, he wanted nothing more than to have some peace and quiet, and maybe a whiskey as he settled into unpacking. He sighed and reached for a box, the sooner the basics were set up the sooner he could be alone. The label read kitchen, so he brought it over to the island that separated it from the living area. Setting it down he reached for the box cutters and began to remove the contents of the box. His blender, toaster and kettle were placed to the side, and he reached for another box. It was filled with glasses and cups, so he set it to one side to do later.

“Well, well, well. What is _this?_ ”

Jane’s voice echoed from around the corner, grabbing Kaidan’s attention. He headed towards her voice, slightly concerned she had found something she wasn’t supposed to. He found her knelt in front of rather large box, ripping through the tape with her hands, ignoring the box cutters that lay next to her. The box had ‘Personal Effects’ written across it in large letters, and Kaidan could tell from her expression she was hoping to find something juicy in it. He let out a small chuckle when her face fell.

“CDs? You still have them in this day and age?” She exclaimed.

“Well of course, I don’t use my phone all the time,” he replied.

“This is good, we can make sure he has good taste,” John teased as he picked a few out of the box.

“Madonna, Gaga, Tina Turner, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Lizzo? Well if we weren’t sure before we definitely are now,” John winked.

Kaidan furrowed his brow. “There is more than that, I do have a varied taste.”

“Oh honey I’m sure you do, but at first glance it’s pretty damning evidence,” John retorted.

Jane smirked as she returned to rummaging through Kaidan’s box. John was still flicking through the CDs he had recovered from it, eyebrows raised. He saw Kaidan looking and winked, letting out a chuckle when Kaidan blushed and turned away. When he turned back, he averted his eyes from John.

“Do you guys want a drink or something?” he offered.

“Yeah, we’ll both have some water please?” Jane said.

Kaidan nodded and turned to walk into the kitchen. When John was sure he was out of earshot, he spoke to his sister.

“Dibs.”

“What? You met him all of two hours ago and you’re already calling dibs?!” she exclaimed.

“Well he’s cute! And besides, I have more of a chance than you, he can’t stop looking at me,” John teased.

Jane muttered under her breath as she pulled out more CDs and DVDs out of the boxes. Most of it was fairly normal stuff, but she stopped when she came across a DVD that shocked her. She waved it in front of John, who came over with interest.

“Oh wow. Do you think he meant to put it in with the rest of them?” he asked.

“I don’t know, maybe. I guess he wasn’t expecting us to go through his stuff.”

“Well that was a mistake on his part,” John laughed.

Deciding to mess with the other man just a little bit, he left the DVD on the side, knowing Kaidan would see it eventually. John and Jane were still rifling through the boxes when Kiadan came back, three glasses of water balanced carefully in between his hands. Accepting their drinks, the three of them took a break. Sitting cross legged on the floor, they were silent for a moment before John spoke.

“So Kaidan, I was thinking, since you’re new in the city you need someone to show you round. How about I take you round the important places in the morning before we go to the precinct?”

“Oh, erm, yeah that would be great actually, thank you.”

“Not a problem, it’s my pleasure. Plus it gives us time to get to know each other a little better,” John said with a wink.

Kaidan blushed a little bit, and quickly stood up, mentioning that he really wanted to get his bedding and toiletries out so he could be ready for tomorrow. He headed towards the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Okay fine, you win. He’s all yours,” said Jane.

“Oh, he will be,” John said confidently.

Jane rolled her eyes. Her brother could be so overconfident, but he usually got his way.

They spent the rest of the evening helping Kaidan unpack the majority of his boxes, occasionally swapping stories and questions as they got to know each other. Pizza was ordered at one point and plates taken out of bubble wrap, and eventually one of Kaidan’s bottles of whiskey was opened and half-drunk as the evening gave way to night. They had done a pretty good job, having unpacked most of the furniture and the essentials so that the apartment looked at least like someone was living there. Eventually John and Jane decided to call it a night and began to head out.

“Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it,” Kaidan said to them, extending his hand.

John regarded the hand for a moment before pulling Kaidan into a hug.

“Don’t mention it, we’re partners now,” he said, releasing Kaidan.

Jane nodded her agreement, also opting to give Kaidan a hug. After agreeing to a time to be ready to meet John in the morning, the bid their goodnights and left. Kaidan closed the door with a sigh. _They’re quite a pair,_ he thought, heading towards the bedroom. His eye caught something that was on the side as he walked past. The colour drained from his face as he picked it up.

_Oh my god, this can’t be happening!_


	6. Meeting and Briefing

Kaidan woke early the next morning while it was still dark out. Gingerly stepping out of bed, he trudged towards the bathroom bleary eyed. Looking in the mirror, he noticed he was due a shave, and headed into the living room to find his razor. Acquiring his goal, he went back into the bathroom and carefully trimmed his beard.

Satisfied that he was clean shaven enough, Kaidan put the razor down and looked down his body. He was definitely due a trim of several areas but feeling lazy, he decided to leave that for another day. He stepped into the shower and turned it on, allowing the warm water to run down his face and cascade over his body. He was enjoying the sensation when he heard the doorbell ring. _Odd,_ he thought. He wasn’t expecting anyone except John and that wasn’t for another hour at least. Still, he figured he may as well see who the mystery caller was so he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He went to the door and opened it.

Stood in front of him was John, holding a pair of coffees and a brown bag. His eyes widened as he took in Kaidan’s still dripping form, and grinned appreciatively.

“Well, maybe I’ll start showing up early all the time if this is the kind of welcome I can expect,” he winked.

“John. What are you doing here so early? I thought we agreed to meet at nine?” Kaidan asked.

“You didn’t get any groceries in yesterday, so I figured you might be in need of coffee and breakfast,” John replied, waving the bag he was holding.

“Thanks. Er, come on in, I’ll be ready in a moment.”

“You don’t have to rush for me,” John teased.

Kaidan rolled his eyes and shook his head. He led John to the sofa, and left him to rummage through a suitcase to find some appropriate clothing. Selecting a pair of skinny jeans, a t-shirt and boots, he quickly got changed and went to join Shepard. John was gulping down his coffee quickly, either really thirsty or desperately in need of caffeine. John threw the bag to Kaidan, who managed to catch it with one hand. Looking in the bag, he was greeted with the aroma of toasted bread, melted cheese and ham.

“Thanks John, how much do I owe you for this?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it a bribe,” John replied.

Kaidan smiled, and dug into his toastie. It was delicious, and clearly from an independent café that made everything by hand.

“You need to show me where you got this from, I think I might have to make it my go to,” Kaidan said.

“Of course I will, once you’re ready we’ll go. It’s only around the corner so we can make it the first stop,” John told him.

Kaidan quickly finished his food, hungrier than he had thought he was. He grabbed his jacket and stood over John, indicating that he was ready to go. John stood up and headed to the door. Leading the way, he took Kaidan down to the pavement and opened the passenger door to an old sports car. Kaidan whistled in admiration.

“That’s a nice car. How did you manage to find one?” he asked.

“Believe it or not, I actually restored it myself, it took ages to find all the parts but now it’s finished I drive round in it all the time,” John told him.

He was still holding the door open for Kaidan, who gratefully got in. John shut the door and walked around the bonnet to the driver’s side. Getting in, he turned the key to start the engine and carefully pulled out of the parking space. He drove around the corner, and as promised, pointed out the little café on the corner where Kaidan’s breakfast had come from.

“By the way, are you coming to the Halloween party tonight?” John asked as they began to drive to the precinct.

“Halloween party? I didn’t know there was one. Besides, I haven’t got a costume,” Kaidan replied.

“But you have to come! Everyone’s going to be there so it’ll be a great chance to meet everyone. Well I’m assuming you’ve got your red serge? Wear that, it counts as a costume!”

“Do I really have to go though?” Kaidan asked.

“Please? I think you’ll really like my costumes,” John teased.

“Costumes? You’ve got more than one?”

“Yeah, I have a storyline.”

“Well I’m intrigued, so I guess you can count me in,” Kaidan said, very interested to know what John’s ‘storyline’ was.

They spent the rest of the ride sharing details about each other, with John pointing out what he called the most important places Kaidan needed to know. The bar, the good food places, bus stations and the like. Kaidan had been a little surprised to learn that John used to serve in the army, and that Jane had been in the air force. Eventually they reached the precinct, and John insisted he take him to meet the other members of the task force.

They walked up the steps to the third floor, and John threw open the door to a large briefing room. Inside were around a dozen people. Kaidan instantly recognised Jane, deep in talk with Liara. John quickly whizzed him around the room, giving quick introductions before the captain walked in. Mordin, Garrus, Tali, Miranda, Jack and Steve were just a few of the names and hands he shook during the whirlwind introductions. The talking quickly died down however, when a stern looking man walked into the room, hat tucked into his armpit.

“That’s Captain Anderson,” John whispered to him.

This was the man in charge of the whole task force, and Kaidan examined him carefully. His uniform was immaculately pressed, and he gave off an air of authority and confidence that settled over the entire room.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It’s nice to see some fresh faces in the room,” he said, nodding to Kaidan and Liara.

“Thanks to our two new additions, we now have an idea of how these smugglers are transporting the diamonds, so I want us to focus in on any of our suspects who are known hunters, or who may be involved in poaching,” he continued.

“If I may, captain?” asked the bespectacled Mordin.

Anderson nodded his consent, and Mordin walked up to the front and began to speak.

“Now we know that the diamonds are being smuggled in animal carcasses we’ve been running some tests from evidence we collected from a few hunting lodges and butcher’s shops. There is one lodge that has reported that a few of their members have recently been visiting a lot more, and they appear to be a lot richer, I’m talking new cars, new clothes, expensive watches,” he said. “And with Captain Anderson’s approval, we’re going to send Jack and Miranda to investigate it further.”

Kaidan heard a groan from the two women behind him.

“They don’t really get on. They had a clash when they arrived,” John informed Kaidan.

The rest of the meeting went over a lot of the information Kaidan already knew, so he zoned out a little bit. By the time the meeting was over, Kaidan was almost ready to fall asleep. John was still looking at Anderson, but his eyes were glazed over. He was also bored. Kaidan tapped him on the shoulder, and he shook himself back.

“So it looks like I got saddled with desk duty,” Kaidan sighed.

“We’ll get you out in the field, I promise,” John told him.

“Yeah, hopefully,”

“Think of it this way, you’ll be able to leave on time and get ready for the party! I’ll pick you up at seven?”


	7. Halloween Party

Kaidan was ready early. He tugged on the collar of his tunic. Part of him felt a little silly going to a costume party in part of his actual uniform, but he figured that at least it could count as a costume since he didn’t really wear it anymore. He decided to take a shot to steel his nerves, and he had just put the bottle back when he heard the knock at the door. He had to admit, he was a little excited about tonight. He walked to the door and opened it. He was greeted by John, wearing a priest’s smock and collar.

“Damn Kaidan, you look good, I could lick the maple syrup off you,” he winked.

“Thanks, I think. Who are you supposed to be?” Kaidan asked.

“Can’t you tell? I’m Father Joel Birkin,”

Kaidan felt the heat rush to his face as he blushed a frightening shade of red. He spluttered, getting even more embarrassed as John let out a loud, hearty laugh.

“You? You found the DVD?” Kaidan asked weakly.

“Oh you bet your ass I did. Don’t worry, I approve.”

Kaidan felt like the air he was breathing in was trying to suffocate him. This couldn’t be happening to him, this was a man he had just met a few days ago who already knew his taste in adult films. He turned around and went straight back for the alcohol. He was going to need a lot of it to survive tonight.

John did most of the talking while he drove to his house. Since the party was at his he had picked up Kaidan a little earlier so that they would be there when the majority of the guests started to arrive. Jane was of course already there, wearing her usual clothes but with a witch’s hat.

“I forgot to get a costume,” was her excuse.

John raised his eyebrows in despair. He left Kaidan with Jane while he headed towards the garage to get some alcohol out of it.

“So! What do you think of John’s outfit? It’s not the only one he’s going to be wearing tonight,” she grinned.

“Wait, you know too?” Kaidan asked panicked.

“Honey, I found it. You’ve got pretty good taste,”

Kaidan groaned, and sent up a silent prayer when John returned bearing several crates of beer. He gratefully accepted one, and began to neck it. John and Jane followed suit, claiming they wanted to be buzzed by the time people began to arrive. Kaidan eventually began to relax, even being able to ignore John’s costume, when he felt something at his leg. Looking down, he was met by a big pair of blue eyes that belonged to a gorgeous white husky.

“Who’s this beauty?” he asked, kneeling down to pet the dog.

“That’s Normandy, she’s my pretty lady,” said John, also kneeling to pet her.

Normandy sniffed at Kaidan’s hand before letting him pet her. He scratched behind her ears and her tongue lolled to the side as she enjoyed the attention. Jane smiled at the scene, and left to answer the door when the doorbell rang. She returned a few moments later with Liara and one of the men Kaidan had been introduced to that morning, Garrus. Liara had dressed up as some kind of alien, having molded her blue hair into tentacle like spikes and painting the rest of her body blue. Garrus had dressed as a dark angel, the wings strapped to his back black and tattered, the harness the only thing covering his otherwise bare torso. He had also drawn a few bloody scars over his ripped physique. He had coupled it with black leather pants and black boots which made him look like he had just stepped off of a pride float.

“Oh Kaidan! You look great, it’s been a while since I saw you in that,” said Liara.

“Thanks Liara, so do you,” he replied.

Garrus looked Kaidan up and down appraisingly before he spoke.

“It seems like you cheated a bit, but you do look good. And there’s at least one person here who I know will be into it,” he said, shooting John a look.

Kaidan turned around, surprised to see John was pulling on a jacket, having already swapped his outfit. He felt himself going red again as he recognised what the other man had put on. A swiss guard outfit. John leaned in closer and whispered in his ear.

“I’ve already drank a lot, so maybe we can recreate one of those ‘Scandal in the Vatican’ scenes later, if you like,” his breath grazed over Kaidan, sending a shiver down his spine.

He gave Kaidan a playful slap on the ass and went over to talk to Garrus.

“Liara, if you see me without a drink, please find the nearest one and bring it to me,” Kaidan begged her.

As the night began to wind down, Kaidan found himself in John’s lap, having drank just enough that his inhibitions had lowered to make it seem like a good idea. They had been making out, and Kaidan had to admit that he was enjoying it.

“How would you feel about taking this to the bedroom?” John asked.

“Pretty good,” Kaidan replied.

John nodded, and in one smooth motion stood up with Kaidan in his arms.

“You’re so strong,” Kaidan remarked.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,”

Carrying Kaidan up the stairs, he threw him on the bed and locked the door behind him. Finally alone, John took the time to undress and slipped next to Kaidan, placing a warm kiss on his neck. Kaidan groaned. Encouraged, Shepard let his hands wander, and began to bite and lick Kaidan’s neck.

“Oh fuck, that’s it,” Kaidan moaned, trying to remove his own clothes.

They took their time exploring each other’s bodies, moving slowly and sensually.

“So, gonna let me taste that syrup?” John asked throatily.

“You can taste whatever you want,”

John grinned, and went lower.

Kaidan woke the next morning with a raging hangover. He felt a warm body next to him. Looking over, he smiled at John, who was also awake.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Morning back,” John said with a grin.

“Want some coffee?” Kaidan asked.

“Shouldn’t I be the one offering you? But since you’re offering yes please. It’s all in the kitchen. Put some clothes on though, Jane might still be here,”

Kaidan nodded, and threw the cover off. He quickly threw his uniform back on and headed downstairs. Just as John had suspected, Jane was there, throwing a ball to Normandy.

“Well, well, good morning. Sleep well?” she asked.

“I did thanks,” Kaidan said, pointedly ignoring the stare levelled at the bruises on his neck.

He set about making coffee and had just poured it into mugs when he felt John’s arms wrap around his waist.

“Don’t move, I’ve only got your hat covering me,” he said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Kaidan turned around, and sure enough, John was just holding a hat to his modesty. He had placed a hamster on the counter, which was sniffing the air curiously.

“Who’s this?” Kaidan asked.

“That’s Boo. He’s Jane’s,” John replied.

Kaidan handed John one of the mugs, and they both sipped the coffee before Kaidan spoke.

“So, when are we gonna go on a date?"


	8. Out of a Job

_Eight months later_

Kaidan stepped out of the shower, John following just behind him. Kaidan was rushing about attempting to get ready, while John was taking his time.

“We’re gonna be late! I’m not walking in late,” Kaidan said.

“You’re the reason we’re on the minutes. You’re not blaming this on me this time,” John replied, who had put on his trousers.

Kaidan sighed, and finished dressing. Thankfully John had also found and put on the rest of his clothes. They hurriedly made their way to John’s car, and set off for the precinct. As luck would have it, they hit every red light possible on their way there. Kaidan was cursing under his breath, he hated being late.

Despite hitting all the red lights, they made it to the precinct only ten minutes late. Unfortunately it was still late enough to get Jane’s torments.

“Oh-oh, did a couple'a people spend too long in the shower?” she shouted across the bullpen.

“Better than being late because you got your hamster stuck in a box!” John yelled back.

Jane huffed in mock offence, and retreated back to her desk. Everyone else was pointedly ignoring the twins’ verbal match. John and Kaidan walked over to their respective desks and set about working. The last few months had proven to be pretty eventful for Kaidan. As well as having found himself a boyfriend, the case had proven to be bigger than anticipated. They had apprehended several people involved in the smuggling ring, and had their eyes set on more. Kaidan had even earned Garrus’ respect when he had chased one of the smugglers down three blocks and leapt over a moving car to tackle him to the ground.

“So what’s the next target? We going to go after the suppliers or the movers?” Kaidan asked.

“Erm, just a second, I can’t seem to find the files.”

“Can’t find them? Or have you lost them again?” Kaidan fired back.

“That was one time! And they were only in the car!”

John was frantically searching through all the drawers on his desk, and was just about to go to the car when Anderson walked in. He called for everyone’s attention and walked to the middle of the room.

“Okay everyone, I’m afraid I have some bad news. While we were digging around we found some evidence that links this smuggling ring to one of the largest operations in Africa. As of now, Interpol has seized control of the investigation and all information is to be handed over to them.”

There were a few gasps of disbelief. They had been working hard for months and were now having all that work taken away from them.

“I want to thank every one of you for all the work you’ve put in. For those of you who were transferred here from other provinces or precincts, I will have your return papers ready for you by the end of the day. It’s not much, but at least you’ll be able to return to your old postings soon, that’s all,” he said, and left.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes, still absorbing the fact that they would soon be leaving each other and scattering all over the country. Kaidan said nothing, but was watching John carefully. The other man let no emotion show on his face, but he stood up and walked over to Jane, whispering furiously. Wanting some fresh air, Kaidan stood up and headed for the roof.

He was alone for around twenty minutes when he heard the door open again. John walked out and leant against the railing next to him. He held out his hand, which Kaidan took gratefully. They stood in silence before John finally spoke.

“So, I guess that’s it. I suppose you’ll be going back to Manitoba then?” he asked.

“I don’t know John. I’ve built up something pretty great here, but I left a whole life behind in The Pas. And now that the task force is done I’m about to be homeless.”

John nodded, understanding but saddened. He squeezed Kaidan’s hand reassuringly, and pulled him closer, just savouring the moment.

Kaidan looked around the apartment that had been his home for almost a year. It was bare once more. All his belongings had been sent back to The Pas last week, and he was the last thing to go. He would never admit it, but he had shed a few tears as he had packed everything up. Liara had already left, having opted to drive back with Suvi. He left his key on the side and walked out for the final time. Jane was waiting for him, she was driving him to the airport since John had not been able to get the day off work.

The drive was silent, neither one willing to broach the subject of what was going to happen between him and John. They reached the airport quickly, and Kaidan hugged Jane goodbye. He was just about to step through the doors when he heard John’s voice.

“Kaidan!”

He turned around, surprised.

“Kaidan, I can’t let you go without saying something,” he said, walking up to Kaidan and wrapping him in a crushing hug.

“Stay with me Kaidan, please. You can move in with me and get a transfer. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you, we’re meant for each other you and me.”

“John, I love you too, and I don’t like this either, but I can’t just leave my life at home behind,” Kaidan said, tears brimming in his eyes. “You’ve got to let me go, but I’ll keep in touch I promise, you can’t get rid of me that easily,” Kaidan tried to joke.

He gave John a small, chaste kiss, and stepped back, a sad smile on his face. He cleared his throat and turned around, walking through into the airport, and was almost immediately lost in the crowd.

“I’m sorry John, I know you had something special with him,” said Jane, walking beside her brother and throwing an arm around him.

John said nothing, doing his best not to let his feeling of loss overwhelm him.


	9. Return

John was busy at work. It had been two months since Kaidan had left, and he had thrown himself into his cases as a distraction. Jane had done her best to cheer him up but it hadn’t made much difference. Since Kaidan had left, and despite him keeping in touch regularly, John had become a little less active in the force. Apart from spending time with Jane and Normandy his social life had practically ceased to exist. While other people might find it silly he had became so anti-social when he hadn’t been with Kaidan for long, but Jane knew differently. John loved easily and fiercely, and he took every relationship seriously, and he had only ever had a few.

What John didn’t know was that Jane had also been in touch with Kaidan, and that he was just as miserable. It had taken some talking, but Kaidan had finally decided to move back to Vancouver. He had let Jane know yesterday that the sale of his house had gone through and he had booked a flight that was due to land in the next hour. It had been difficult to not let it slip to John, but she knew his reaction would be worth it.

“I’ve been thinking,” John said to her.

“Oh-oh, that’s dangerous,” she shot back.

“Very funny. I’ve been looking at moving, the house has been feeling a bit big recently.”

“Moving? Are you sure John? What about Normandy? The back yard is perfect for her, what are you gonna do about her?”

“I’ve been looking at apartments near the park, and a lot of them are pet friendly.”

Jane had to think quickly.

“Have you found one you like?” she asked.

“I have actually, I was going to make an application today.”

“Well let me come with you to see it before you do. I’ll drive us after work.”

“Uh, fine. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have you check it out as well. You will be spending a lot of time there eating my food after all.”

“Exactly,” Jane laughed.

She grinned after John left his desk. Her brother had no clue what was about to happen, and she was looking forward to seeing his reaction when Kaidan finally stepped out of the airport. She hurriedly finished typing up her report so that she could wait for John. While she was waiting, she received a text from Kaidan, letting her know that his flight had landed and was just waiting for his luggage.

“John, you ready to go yet?” she shouted down the hallway.

“I’m coming, Jesus,” he shouted back, appearing from behind the door.

They walked quickly to Jane’s car, and she set off at speed.

“What’s the rush? I haven’t even told you the address yet,” exclaimed John, quickly fastening his seatbelt.

“Before we go, I have a surprise for you, so just be quiet and enjoy the ride,” she quipped.

John did as he was told, opting to look down at his phone. He was so engrossed in whatever he was doing he didn’t see the sign for the airport. He didn’t look up until Jane had parked.

“What are we doing at the airport? Jane, you’ve not booked a surprise holiday again have you? I can’t take anymore time off work,”

“Nope, your surprise is going to be here in a moment,” she replied.

As if on cue, a few minutes later Kaidan stepped through the doors, his blue suitcase rolling behind him. He looked around, trying to spot Jane’s car. He saw it and waved.

“Kaidan? What’s going on?” said John as he stepped out of the car.

Kaidan walked over, and John threw his arms around the other man, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, a large smile on his face.

“Well, after I got back home I realised I didn’t want to be there if it meant I was without you. So I sold my house, got a transfer and had all my stuff sent ahead, and if your offer still stands, I’d love to move in with you,” said Kaidan, also smiling.

John grinned, and gave Kaidan a kiss on the lips, which Kaidan reciprocated warmly. Jane smiled, but made a fake retching noise which earned her a middle finger from both of the men. Shaking her head, she gave them a moment before she spoke.

“So, now that the happy couple is back together and moving in with other, who’s up for dinner?”

Kaidan smiled.

“Absolutely, let’s go,”

Kaidan got in the backseat as the twins settled into the front. He had spoken with Liara before he had made the decision to move. She had been so supportive, and had even let him stay in her spare room while he sold his house. A lot had changed in the eight months he had been gone from The Pas. James had gotten his transfer and moved, Captain Wrex had retired and been replaced by a cruel woman named Morda, who had made it very clear she did not like Kaidan. That, coupled with Jane’s comments about John, had sealed his decision to move back to Vancouver.

Once they arrived at the restaurant John and Kaidan wasted no time in getting close. Jane rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew she probably was going to turn into the third wheel, but not so quickly.

“If you don’t start acting like normal people I’m going to smack the both of you,” she said.

“Shut up Jane, I haven’t seen him in two months,” John shot back.

“Don’t care, save it for the bedroom,” Jane said in between mouthfuls of food.

Kaidan was watching this exchange warmly. It really hadn’t been that long but he had missed hearing the twins’ exchanges everyday. Something about it made him feel at home. Home. What an odd thought. But he liked it.

By the time they got back to John’s house and Jane had bid her goodbyes, Kaidan was knackered. He went straight up to the bedroom and stripped, wrapping himself in the covers. John slipped into bed next to him, and wrapped his arms around him.

“Welcome home Kaidan,”

“Mmm, home,” Kaidan sighed as he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
